Shuttling prison inmates between the detention center and the court house is inherently dangerous. Being outside the confining walls of the detention center presents a chance to escape, and many prisoners try to take advantage of it. Some plan ahead and involve their friends on the inside and on the outside, while others make the most of a fleeting moment of inattention on the part of the personnel who are escorting them. One way of keeping prisoners secure while they are being ferried about from one venue to another is to use equipment such as a specially designed and constructed prisoner seat belt.
There are several reasons why prisoners have to be transported. During a trial, they often have to be moved to and from the courtroom every day, sometimes for several weeks. Detainees are often transferred from one prison to another. Still others are driven to hospitals, weddings, funerals and other similar occasions.
A key requirement for transport restraining equipment is that it enables officers to sit the passenger inside the vehicle without having to reach across them to fasten the seat belt. When an officer is forced to reach over an inmate, it presents an ideal opportunity for the inmate to try and jab, nut or otherwise injure them. When a subject is known or suspected to be violent or unstable, accessories like leg irons may be used to restrain them, especially if they are going to be in close proximity to members of the public.
Prison transfers are often effected after normal working hours to eliminate the risk of being exposed to the public. Escorts may be recruited from among prison staff, local law enforcement or external contractors. Whoever is in charge, management is expected to perform a risk assessment well in advance of the transfer to enable them to make the correct preparations.
The transfer is likely to proceed much more smoothly if all parties are able to communicate in real time via a radio link. At all times, the sending and receiving institutions should be able to contact the inmate's escort team.
In the United States, around 300 prisoners escape each year while being transferred from one location to another. More than two-thirds of these individuals manage to free themselves from caged vehicles and more than four-fifths from the back seat. Ten percent of escorting officers are injured and three percent are killed. While all injuries and deaths are to be avoided, thousands of prison inmates are exchanged between sites every day all over the United States.
The prospect of spending the rest of their lives in custody is a powerful motivation for an inmate in transit to make a sudden violent move to gain control of the vehicle and cause an accident where they are likely to be killed. It is imperative to take all precautions necessary for an incident-free transfer.
Escorting criminals is dangerous work. Management should emphasize this to the staff who will be accompanying the prisoner and assure them that their jobs are an essential element in making the judicial process work.
There are several reasons why prisoners have to be transported. During a trial, they often have to be moved to and from the courtroom every day, sometimes for several weeks. Detainees are often transferred from one prison to another. Still others are driven to hospitals, weddings, funerals and other similar occasions.
A key requirement for transport restraining equipment is that it enables officers to sit the passenger inside the vehicle without having to reach across them to fasten the seat belt. When an officer is forced to reach over an inmate, it presents an ideal opportunity for the inmate to try and jab, nut or otherwise injure them. When a subject is known or suspected to be violent or unstable, accessories like leg irons may be used to restrain them, especially if they are going to be in close proximity to members of the public.
Prison transfers are often effected after normal working hours to eliminate the risk of being exposed to the public. Escorts may be recruited from among prison staff, local law enforcement or external contractors. Whoever is in charge, management is expected to perform a risk assessment well in advance of the transfer to enable them to make the correct preparations.
The transfer is likely to proceed much more smoothly if all parties are able to communicate in real time via a radio link. At all times, the sending and receiving institutions should be able to contact the inmate's escort team.
In the United States, around 300 prisoners escape each year while being transferred from one location to another. More than two-thirds of these individuals manage to free themselves from caged vehicles and more than four-fifths from the back seat. Ten percent of escorting officers are injured and three percent are killed. While all injuries and deaths are to be avoided, thousands of prison inmates are exchanged between sites every day all over the United States.
The prospect of spending the rest of their lives in custody is a powerful motivation for an inmate in transit to make a sudden violent move to gain control of the vehicle and cause an accident where they are likely to be killed. It is imperative to take all precautions necessary for an incident-free transfer.
Escorting criminals is dangerous work. Management should emphasize this to the staff who will be accompanying the prisoner and assure them that their jobs are an essential element in making the judicial process work.
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